Shelter Shock No a las redadas en los refugios

Shelter Shock

Calling for stop on shelter sweeps

Story and photos by Gregg McQueen

Pulled from his bed, threatened and elbowed in the back.

That’s how Griffin Kinard, who resides in a homeless shelter, said he was treated by the New York Police Department (NYPD) when cops conducted an early-morning raid on his shelter facility to nab residents with outstanding warrants.

Advocates at City Hall.

“I was in three sweeps for nothing more than a joint,” remarked Kinard, 31, who said he was sought due to an outstanding warrant for marijuana possession. “They came in, harassed me, put an elbow in my back. For a joint.”

The department denies it is conducting sweeps.

Kinard and other shelter residents joined the Legal Aid Society, elected officials and homeless rights advocates at City Hall on Wed., Aug. 2 to ask Mayor Bill de Blasio and the NYPD to stop conducting raids on homeless shelters.

Legal Aid Society representatives said that although the NYPD denies it, they have documented reports of seven different warrant sweeps since January at shelters in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Advocates insisted that most of those apprehended were taken for low-level, older offenses, such as warrants for having an open alcohol container or being in a park late at night, during sweeps that occurred in the early-morning hours.

“Summons warrants and sweeps that bring people in from homeless shelters shackled and handcuffed in the middle of the night is simply wrong,” said Tina Luongo, Attorney-in-Charge of the Criminal Practice of Legal Aid Society. She said the practice of warrant sweeps goes against New York’s status as a sanctuary city.

“Part of sanctuary isn’t only how you fight back against the federal government’s intrusion, but also how we treat each other as human beings,” Luongo said. “It’s about how we treat the people who right now need our help.”

“We cannot say we’re a sanctuary city and then do things like this,” said City Councilmember Jumaane Williams, who called shelter sweeps “an oppressive policy.”

The City Hall press conference came on the heels of a reported NYPD raid at a Washington Heights shelter on July 17. Luongo said police entered the Fort Washington Men’s Shelter early that morning, shouting and waving tasers at residents before making an arrest.

That shelter, which is dedicated to housing men with mental health issues, was also raided on July 10, with eight men placed under arrest, according to the Legal Aid Society.

“Imagine at the crack of dawn, that officers with vests marked ‘warrant squad,’ come in shouting, waving tasers,” said Adriene Holder, Attorney-in-Charge of the Civil Practice for Legal Aid Society. “People come out half-dressed, completely confused and terrified by this act, at a homeless shelter that should be a safe space for some of our most vulnerable neighbors, displaced neighbors, desperate neighbors, who have experienced trauma, who are seeking services and refuge.”

“It’s important that we keep in mind the humanity of this,” said Deputy Manhattan Borough President Aldrin Bonilla. “Homeless rights are human rights.”

Lawmakers and advocates expressed concern that homeless New Yorkers, especially undocumented immigrants, will avoid going to shelters out of concern they’ll be arrested.

Homeless shelters have been targeted, said advocates.

“The city says they want to encourage people to come in off the streets and seek shelter,” said Giselle Routhier, Policy Director of Coalition for the Homeless. “But this type of policy is completely counterproductive to that. People won’t come in if they think they’re going to be a target.”

“The difference for a homeless New Yorker between being on the street and being in a shelter system can be the difference between life or death,” stated Councilmember Mark Levine. “It is a huge problem if homeless people remain on the streets because they are afraid to go to a shelter.”

Councilmember Brad Lander remarked that arresting people at shelters muted the chance that residents could get their lives in order.

“Let’s give them the ability to get back on their feet,” he said.

“The difference [is] a matter between life or death,” said Councilmember Mark Levine.

Kinard questioned the value of warrant sweeps for law enforcement, as he said many of those apprehended for low-level offenses end up right back at the shelter after their cases are dismissed.

“Sweeping shelters is a waste of time, a waste of police activity, it is a waste of taxpayer’s money,” stated Kinard.

“The streets are what need the attention,” he said. “We need to focus more on that instead of people trying to get their lives together. It’s hard enough in the shelter.”

Other police activity reported by the Legal Aid Society include raids on the 30th Street Men’s Shelter on March 23 and April 1, the Kingsboro Star facility on April 6 and Bedford Atlantic shelter on April 7.

Jeffrey Foster, an advocate with VOCAL-NY, said he had previously been caught up in NYPD activity while residing in a shelter. He claimed that cops “kicked beds, woke everybody up,” and rounded up 30 men with outstanding warrants, mostly for low-level offenses.

Tina Luongo is the Attorney-in-Charge of the Criminal Practice of Legal Aid Society.

“They handcuffed us and put us in a van,” he said. “If the mayor wants to improve relations between community and the police, they need to make sure this doesn’t happen.”

Councilmembers asked the city to release more information on NYPD policies related to shelter arrests.

“We need a response from the mayor and police department to figure out what is happening,” said City Councilmember Carlos Menchaca.

In response to the City Hall press conference, the NYPD denied that it conducts warrant sweeps at homeless shelters, and said it established additional protocols in May for how and when local precincts can request specific help from the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) for law enforcement activities.

“The NYPD does not conduct general warrant sweeps in shelters, as we have said several times before,” said J. Peter Donald, the NYPD’s Assistant Commissioner for Communication and Public Information, in an email.

According to DHS, recent NYPD operations in shelters have been related to “warrant squad” activity targeting one or a few specific clients for serious crimes, rather than a “warrant sweep” targeting many clients and without regard to seriousness of alleged offenses.

“City law-enforcement officials do not do warrant sweeps in homeless shelters, period,” said DHS spokesperson Issac McGinn. “To protect the safety of those living and working in shelters, law-enforcement personnel at times target specific individuals with outstanding arrest warrants connected to serious crimes. That’s a smart thing to do and it will not stop. At the same time, we’re redoubling efforts to help homeless New Yorkers clear old warrants for low-level, non-violent offenses so they can get jobs and move into permanent housing.”

According to DHS, the July 10 NYPD operation at the Fort Washington Men’s Shelter was conducted to apprehend an individual wanted on a felony assault in connection with a June 20 slashing.

The July 17 police activity at the same shelter was related to a Department of Health and Mental Hygiene order seeking a single individual for a mental health removal under Kendra’s Law, who was the only individual removed from the shelter that day, DHS said.

The Legal Aid Society called on DHS to work with district attorneys, defender organizations and the state’s Office of Court Administration (OCA) to bring warrant cleaning opportunities to shelters, similar to the “Clean Slate” programs currently administered for the general public.

“They handcuffed us,” said Jeffrey Foster.

In June, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance sponsored a warrant forgiveness event for low-level offenses. Vance, along with Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown and acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric González, announced on July 27 that they would move to toss 700,000 old warrants for offenses like drinking in public and riding a bicycle on a sidewalk.

“They should go ahead and have warrant clearing, the Clean Slate exercises in the communities as well as the shelters,” said Holder.

Shelter resident Arvenetta Henry said police activity in shelters frightens residents even if they are not involved in the arrests, and demonstrates a lack of respect for the homeless.

“Even though we might be in the shelter, we’re still human beings,” remarked Henry.

“You should be out there trying to get the real criminals,” she added, “not [people] in shelter trying to get our lives together.”